Automatic spray mist dispenser



1965 H. M. HUNTER AUTOMATIC SPRAY MIST DISPENSER Filed Feb. 19. 1964 INVEN TOR. f/VE) M Ham/2 B 4 0mm Y5.

United States Patent 3,216,618 AUTOMATIC SPRAY MIST DISPENSER Henry M.Hunter, San Antonio, Tex., assignor to Hunter Products Corp., SanAntonio, Tex. Filed Feb. 19, 1964, Ser. No. 345,887 2 Claims. (Cl.222-70) This invention relates to improvements in spray mist dispensers,and more particularly to an automatic periodic type of pressurized mistdispenser which will operate for long periods of time in an unattended,isolated confined or remote area.

In connection with the use of germicidal and fumigating mists, insectrepellent mists and the like, many operating problems arise as toattendance thereof. The requirement of non-exposure of certain operatingpersonnel to a certain concentration of pressurized or aerosol packageddeodorants, germicidal preparations, antiseptic fluids, insecticidalsprays and the like, in the surrounding air for a designated area,present serious problems, as many operating personnel are allergic to,or become easily ill, from the presence of such mist sprays. Also,manual operation is an inconvenience and a manual operator for suchsprays due to inaccuracy finds it impossible to maintain a desiredconcentration of such sprays in the surrounding air of a designatedarea.

The present invention solves the above problems by providing aneconomical, safe and eflicient periodic dispersal of such mists andsprays from a weatherproof cabinet like enclosure means for aconventional pressurized or aerosol type of packaged mist spray whichwill operate for long periods of time unattended.

The primary object of this invention is to provide a safe, economicaland reliable means of periodically dispensing mist from pressurizedcontainers of a commercial type having therein fluids which may be usedas room fresheners, deodorizers, germicides, insecticides, insectrepellents, disinfectants, or any other pressurized gas, mist and thelike.

Another object of the invention is to provide an automatic periodicspray dispenser which will operate unattended for long periods of time.

A further object of this invention is to provide a safe, reliable andautomatic periodic type of spray mist dispenser which will ehicientlymaintain a desired level of concentration of mist in the air of adesignated area for an extended period of time.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a safe andreliable automatic periodic type of spray mist dispenser.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide an economical andsilent type of automatically timed dispenser mechanism adapted todispense pressurized mist or gas into'an area at predetermined timeintervals.

With these and other objects in view, the invention includes certainnovel features hereinafter described with reference to the drawing whichaccompanies and forms a part of this specification.

In the drawings:.

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the inventive automatic periodic spraymist dispenser as attached to a wall or other support means;

FIGURE 2 is a front elevational view of the new cabinet and spraymechanism having the front cover removed therefrom;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged transverse cross-sectional view taken on lines33 of FIG. 2 in the direction of the arrows;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged detailed front elevational view of the inventivespring biased rotary plural link and compressing mechanism forperiodically operating the "ice pivoted lever means cooperating with thevalved means of a conventional pressurized dispenser; and

FIG. 5 is a top view of the mechanism shown in FIG- URE 4 taken on lines55 on FIG. 4 in the direction of the arrows.

Referring more specifically to the drawing wherein like referencenumerals designate like parts, reference numeral 10 designates,generally, the cabinet enclosure of the invention. Cabinet enclosure 10is comprised of side means 11 and 12, top means 13, bottom means 14 andback means 15 containing a slotted aperture means 16 and is adapted tobe mounted by screw, bolt or other suitable desired means (not shown) toa wall or other type of support in proximity to an energized electricaloutlet receptacle 17. Side means 11 contains an aperture 19 and grommet20 therein adapted to receive a two-Wire conductor 18 having a plugmeans 18a engageable with the receptacle 17 for energizing a timeapparatus 21, of a commercial type, as best seen in FIGURE 3. Cabinetmeans 10 includes a rectangular recessed cover door means 22 having asecuring formed metal detent means 23 at its top and bottom edgeportions, and an apertured portion 24 for external dispersal therefromof spray mist and the like from a pressurized mist container 25, of adesired commercial type, as best seen in FIGURES 1 and 2; Back means 15has a support angle means 15a welded or suitably mounted thereto with afrontal recess 15b therein adapted to fixedly recline the pressurizedspray container means 25.

Timing apparatus 21 may be either electrically or spring wound actuatedas desired, and is rigidly supported in cabinet means 10 by screw means26 secured in apertures 27 of angle support means 28 having a lowerforwardly extending angle-like foot means 29 secured by bolt means 30 inaperture means 31 of cabinet means 10. Angle means 28 has an upper andforwardly extending angle portion 31' having a tapped aperture means 31atherein to threadably receive screw bolt means 32 secured bylock nutmeans 33. Screw bolt means 32 has an adjustable locking nut 33 and alower end terminating in a bumper limiting means 33a of suitablematerial to periodically contact lever means 35 as will be hereinafterexplained.

The reduction gear means (not shown) of timing apparatus 21 isconventional and has a predetermined rate of speed to rotate itstake-off shaft means 38 for a desired dispensing cycle. Shaft means 38carries lever means 39 fixedly secured'thereto by screw means 40. Thedistal end of lever means 39 is pivotally connected by bolt or pin means41 in tandem relationship to another similar lever means 42 secured bypinion means 43 to compressor roller means 44, as best shown in FIG. 4.Lever means 39 is rotatably biased with respect to lever means 42 byspring means 50 connected to screw means 40.

Angle means 29 has an upstanding longitudinal plate 45 connected by ascrew means 46 or other suitable means to a U-shaped support means 47 inwhich the curved portion 47a bears against angle means 29 and the upperportion 47b is pivotally secured by bolt or pin means 48 to the rightend of lever means 35. The intermediate portion of lever means 35 has anupstanding arcuate member 35a which actuates conventional spring biasedvalve spray means 51 of the pressurized container 25.

Pressure container means 25 includes the spring biased valve means 51which contacts portion 35a of lever means 35 to downwardly depress thesame, the pressure on lever means 35 being balanced by tension springmeans 52 attached in aperture means 52a of lever means 35 and aperture52b of angle means 31 maintaining lever means 35 substantially in theposition shown in FIGURE 2,. The spray aperture 51a of valve means 51 isaligned with aperture 24 of door means 22.

Referring more specifically to FIGURE 5, spring means 50 is bent at oneend to engage screw means 40 and is helically secured around bolt means41, the other end of spring means 50 being secured around fixed pinmeans 41a in lever means 42. Lever means 39 and 42 are connected intandem by bolt or pin means 41. As shaft means 38 is rotated in thedirection of arrow A link means 42 folds back against a segmentalhelical cam surface means 54 in the direction of arrow means B to storepotential energy in the bias of spring means 50 to actuate the unpivotedend of lever means 35 upwardly pressing contact means 35a against springbiased valve means 51 as compression roller means 44 leaves point 54a ofcam surface means 54 thereby dispensing spray mist periodically.

Lever means 35 has a lower cam surface means 53 which contacts camroller means 44 after it leaves point 54a of compression surface means54.

Upstanding plate 45 defines the arcuate concave compression surfacemeans 54 of a predetermined shape, as shown in FIGURE 2, which iscontacted by compression roller means 44 during rotation of shaft means38. During rotation of lever means 39 and 42 and contact of compressionroller means 44 past point 54a of compression surface 54, spring means50 being potentially biased instantaneously releases the stored energytherein by further travel of shaft means 38 to press the compressionsurface 53 of the left end of lever means 35 upwardly to overcome thenormal spring bias in valve dispensing means 51 to actuate the same fora predetermined spray period to dispense a desired concentration ofspray mist in the surrounding air through aligned aperture means 24 ofdoor means 22 of cabinet means 10.

A novel feature of the instant invention is that the tandem lever meanscomprising lever means 39 and 42 and compression roller means 44cooperates with compression surface means 53 of lever means 35 andstationary .concave compression surface means 54 and energy storingspring means 50 to operate dispensing valve means 51 with each rotationof shaft means 38.

In operation, pressurized container means 25 is fixedly placed in recessor aperture means 15b of support angle means 15, as shown in brokenlines in FIGURES 2 and 3 and bumper means 32 is properly adjusted toselectively limit the upward movement of lever means 35. Then tension ofspring means 52 is properly adjusted by length to balance the normalspring means of the valve means 51 in the container means 25 withoutactuating dispensing valve means 51. During a designated dispensingperiod of a spray cycle, shaft means 38 makes one revolution in whichcompression roller means 44 contacts compression surface means 54 untilit contacts point 54a of the same, biasing or storing potential energyin spring means 50, and as shaft means 38 is further rotated springmeans 50 releases this potential energy against lever means 35. Ascompression roller means 44 contacts compression surface means 53 oflever means 35 the normal spring bias means in conventional dispensingvalve means 51 is overcome and the container 25 dispenses a desiredconcentration of spray mist through aligned aperture means 24 of doormeans 22 into the surrounding air. As the above-mentioned potentialenergy is spent against lever means 35, lever means 39 and 42 connectedin tandem by pivot means. 41 elongates in projected length untilcompression roller means 44 begins to contact the beginning point 54b ofcam surface 54 to begin the biasing or storing of potential energy inspring means 50 for another dispensing cycle of the invention betweenpoints 54b and 54a of compression surface means 54.

Each revolution of shaft means 38 represents one spray cycle of theinvention, as energized by timing or clock means 21.

Timing means 21 may have different predetermined actuating periods asdetermined by the gear means of timing means 21 for the operation ofeach mist spray dispersal or spray cycle of this new spray mechanism ofthe invention.

From the foregoing it will now be seen that there is here provided animproved cabinet and automatic periodic spray mist dispenser whichaccomplishes all the objects of this invention, and others, includingmany advantages of great practical utility and commercial importance.

Many embodiments may be made of this inventive concept as desired bythose skilled in the art without departing therefrom. Therefore, it isto be understood that all matter herein is to be interpreted merely asillustrative, and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. An automatic spray mist dispenser of the character describedcomprising a cabinet having a door, an aperture in said door throughwhich a spray mist is discharged, a recessed support secured to the rearwall of said cabinet supportably receiving an inverted pressure tank offluid material, having a spring-pressed dispensing valve, motor drivenclockwork having an output shaft secured in fixed position in saidcabinet, a spring biased tandem lever, an energy storing spring and acompression roller carried by said tandem lever, an elongated verticallydisposed plate secured in fixed position in said cabinet, a segmentalcam surface formed in said plate adjacent one end thereof, said springbiased tandem lever being connected to the output shaft of saidclockwork for totation therewith in position for said roller to engagesaid cam surface, an elongated lever having one end thereof pivotallyconnected to the other end of said plate with the free end thereofdisposed in position to be engaged by said roller upon said rollerleaving said cam surface during each revolution of said tandem lever bysaid clockwork, said tandem lever being operative through said roller toactuate said elongated lever, and said elongated lever being adapted toactuate said valve to periodically dispense spray mist therefrom eachtime said elongated lever is actuated by said tandem lever.

2. An automatic spray mist dispenser as defined by claim 1 in which saidcam surface is operative through the engagement thereof with said rollerto actuate said tandem lever to periodically store potential energy insaid energy storing spring by which said tandem lever is periodicallyactuated to effect actuation of said dispensing valve.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS LOUIS I. DEMBO,Primary Examiner.

1. AN AUTOMATIC SPRAY MIST DISPENSER OF THE CHARACTER DESCRIBEDCOMPRISING A CABINET HAVING A DOOR, AN APERTURE IN SAID DOOR THROUGHWHICH A SPRAY MIST IS DISCHARGED, A RECESSED SUPPORT SECURED TO THE REARWALL OF SAID CABINET SUPPORTABLY RECEIVING AN INVERTED PRESSURE TANK OFFLUID MATERIAL, HAVING A SPRING-PRESSED DISPENSING VALVE, MOTOR DRIVENCLOCKWORK HAVING AN OUTPUT SHAFT SECURED IN FIXED POSITION IN SAIDCABINET, A SPRING BIASED TANDEM LEVER, AN ENERGY STORING SPRING AND ACOMPRESSION ROLLER CARRIED BY SAID TANDEM LEVER, AN ELONGATED VERTICALLYDISPOSED PLATE SECURED IN FIXED POSITION IN SAID CABINET, A SEGMENTALCAM SURFACE FORMED IN SAID PLATE ADJACENT ONE END THEREOF, SAID SPRINGBIASED TANDEM LEVER BEING CONNECTED TO THE OUTPUT SHAFT OF SAIDCLOCKWORK FOR ROTATION THEREWITH IN POSITION FOR SAID ROLLER TO ENGAGESAID CAM SURFACE, AN ELONGATED LEVER HAVING ONE END THEREOF PIVOTALLYCONNECTED TO THE OTHER END OF SAID PLATE WITH THE FREE END THEREOFDISPOSED IN POSITION TO BE ENGAGED BY SAID ROLLER UPON SAID ROLLERLEAVING SAID CAM SURFACE DURING EACH REVOLUTION OF SAID TANDEM LEVER BYSAID CLOCKWORK, SAID TANDEM LEVER BEING OPERATIVE THROUGH SAID ROLLER TOACTUATE SAID ELONGATED LEVER, AND SAID ELONGATED LEVER BEING ADAPTED TOACTUATE SAID VALVE TO PERIODICALLY DISPENSE SPRAY MIST THEREFROM EACHTIME SAID ELONGATED LEVER IS ACTUATED BY SAID TANDEM LEVER.